Empower1000 Children on peace-Building in Cameroon

For more than a decade, the ongoing conflict in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest Regions has disrupted the daily lives of children, families, and communities. Children have been particularly affected by insecurity, displacement, interrupted education, loss of livelihoods, trauma, and growing social divisions.

In communities affected by conflict, children are not only victims of violence and instability; they can also become powerful agents of peace when given the knowledge, skills, and confidence to promote tolerance, dialogue, forgiveness, and peaceful coexistence.

Recognizing this opportunity, Universal Maidens Association Cameroon (UNIMAC) has been making a small but meaningful contribution toward peacebuilding by reaching children in schools in the Northwest Region with peace education and tolerance activities.

Our long-term goal is to empower 1,000 children to become Peace Ambassadors in their families, schools, and communities.

Our Intervention

UNIMAC is implementing a child-centered peacebuilding approach that uses schools as safe spaces where children can learn about peace, tolerance, diversity, forgiveness, non-violence, and peaceful conflict resolution.

Through our Cultural Diversity and Tolerance Education Clubs, children are encouraged to understand and appreciate differences in culture, background, identity, and opinions. They are also given opportunities to discuss how conflicts affect individuals and communities and how young people can contribute to building peaceful societies.

The programme promotes the belief that peace should not only be discussed by adults and leaders. Children must also be equipped to become messengers and ambassadors of peace.

We encourage participating children to take what they learn beyond the classroom and share positive messages with their friends, siblings, parents, and wider communities.

Progress So Far

Despite having very limited financial resources, UNIMAC has continued to reach approximately 500 children in selected schools in the Northwest Region through peace education and related activities.

The children have been introduced to important peacebuilding concepts, including:

• Peaceful coexistence and non-violence

• Respect for diversity and different opinions

• Forgiveness and reconciliation

• Dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution

• Prevention of bullying and discrimination

• Understanding the impact of violence on children and families

• Responsible citizenship and community participation

• Becoming positive role models and peace messengers

Through these activities, children are encouraged to see themselves not simply as young people living through a conflict, but as future leaders capable of contributing to peace and social cohesion.

Why We Need Your Support

Our greatest challenge is limited funding.

UNIMAC has continued this work through its own modest resources because we believe that investing in children is investing in the future of peace in Cameroon. However, our current resources are not sufficient to reach all the children and schools that need this intervention.

We have already demonstrated that there is a strong need and interest among children and schools. We now want to move from reaching approximately 500 children to empowering 1,000 children as Peace Ambassadors.

Additional funding will allow us to expand the programme to more schools and communities, provide age-appropriate peace education materials, organize peacebuilding sessions, strengthen school-based peace clubs, train facilitators, and support children to share peace messages within their families and communities.

Our Goal: 1,000 Peace Ambassadors

Our vision is to create a growing network of 1,000 children who understand that peace begins with their everyday actions.

A Peace Ambassador will be encouraged to:

Listen before judging.
Choose dialogue instead of violence.
Respect differences.
Reject discrimination and hatred.
Promote forgiveness and reconciliation.
Stand against bullying and violence.
Share messages of peace with others.
Become a positive example in their community.

When one child learns to resolve conflict peacefully, the impact can extend to siblings, classmates, parents, friends, and neighbors.

Expected Impact

With increased funding, UNIMAC expects to:

• Reach and empower up to 1,000 children with peacebuilding and tolerance education.

• Establish or strengthen school-based Cultural Diversity and Tolerance Education Clubs.

• Train children as peer-to-peer Peace Ambassadors.

• Increase children's understanding of non-violent conflict resolution.

• Promote tolerance and respect among children from diverse backgrounds.

• Encourage children to become advocates for peace within their families and communities.

• Create safer and more inclusive learning environments.

• Contribute to long-term reconciliation and social cohesion in conflict-affected communities.

Why Children Matter in Peacebuilding

Children are among the most important stakeholders in building sustainable peace.

The children growing up in conflict-affected communities today will become tomorrow's teachers, community leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, parents, policymakers, and decision-makers.

If they grow up surrounded by fear, hatred, discrimination, and violence, these experiences can influence future generations. But if they are given opportunities to learn peace, empathy, tolerance, dialogue, and forgiveness, they can help break the cycle of violence.

This is why UNIMAC believes that peacebuilding must begin early.

We cannot wait for peace to come before teaching children how to build it. We must empower children to become part of the solution today.

A Call to Action

UNIMAC is calling on individuals, foundations, companies, institutions, and development partners through GlobalGiving to support our Empower 1,000 Children as Peace Ambassadors initiative.

Your contribution can help us reach more children, strengthen school peace clubs, train young peace ambassadors, and bring peace education to communities that continue to experience the effects of conflict.

Every contribution, regardless of size, can help us reach another child with a message of hope, tolerance, forgiveness, and peaceful coexistence.

Together, we can help children move from being victims of conflict to agents of peace.

Support UNIMAC Today

Help us empower 1,000 children to become Peace Ambassadors.

Help a child learn peace.
Help a family embrace dialogue.
Help a community choose coexistence.
Help build a more peaceful Cameroon—one child at a time.